Auburn has history of spoiling Georgia's SEC hopes

ATHENS, Ga. — Before he was able to relish the glory years of; 1980 and 1981, Buck Belue paid some painful dues in the Georgia-Auburn rivalry in 1978 and 1979.

In both 1978 and 1979, Georgia had a chance to clinch the Southeastern
Conference championship. Each year, Auburn ended those hopes, first by tying
the Bulldogs 22-22 in 1978 and then by beating Georgia 33-13 in 1979.

"I can just remember how devastated we were to be right on
the verge of
accomplishing our goal,'' said Belue, the former Georgia quarterback who now
hosts a sports talk radio show in Atlanta.

Georgia can clinch the SEC East and its first appearance in
the Dec. 7 SEC
championship game. Auburn's scenario in the West is more complicated, but it
needs to beat Georgia and Alabama to protect its spot in the thick of the
race, one-half game behind LSU.

For Georgia, the road to the SEC championship has always
included a late date
with Auburn. From the 1933 debut season of the SEC, when the Tigers beat
the Bulldogs
14-6 in Columbus to give Georgia its only conference loss of the year, the
game has often played a key role in deciding the SEC race.

With few exceptions, including 1998-2001 when Ole Miss fell
behind Auburn on
Georgia's schedule, Auburn normally has been the Bulldogs' final SEC
opponent. Auburn therefore often is in position to play the spoiler for
Georgia's SEC championship hopes.

Auburn's traditional final SEC opponent is Alabama, so the
Tigers' hopes
are more often decided in that game.
Beginning with the 1933 season, Auburn has cost Georgia the SEC championship
seven times. In nine years, Georgia clinched the title with wins over Auburn.

A well-known unique aspect of the rivalry is the lack of a
home-field
advantage. Georgia has a winning record (11-8-2) at Auburn, and the Tigers
are 17-8 in Athens.

Given that history, it is no surprise that Georgia has often
celebrated SEC
championships on Auburn's home turf. Of Vince Dooley's six SEC titles
as
Georgia's coach from 1964-88, five were clinched at Auburn.

Auburn's current streak of three straight wins in the series
includes a
29-26 overtime win over the Bulldogs at Jordan-Hare Stadium in 2000. Last
year, Georgia was stopped at the Auburn 1-yard line as time ran out in the
Tigers' 24-17 win.

"It has been kind of crazy, but we've just got to try to
go out there and
take care of business this time,'' said Georgia senior linebacker Boss
Bailey.

Never was the game more often a decisive factor in the SEC
race than from
1976 through 1983. Seven times in that eight year span — including Belue's
four seasons — Georgia either won the SEC title by beating Auburn or was
denied the championship by the Tigers.

"I really feel the disappointment of 1978 and 1979 motivated
us to do what
it took to do it again,'' Belue said.

With Belue at quarterback, Georgia won the SEC and national
titles in 1980
and added another SEC championship in 1981. John Lastinger took over at
quarterback when Georgia made it three straight SEC titles in 1982.

Auburn's 13-7 win over Georgia in a 1983 clash of top
five teams signaled
the end of the Bulldogs' SEC run.

Since the SEC split into East and West divisions in 1992,
Auburn has
advanced to two SEC championship games — 1997 and 2000. In 1997, Auburn
clinched the West with a 45-34 win over Georgia.

For most current players and coaches, talk about past years
when Auburn
played the spoiler or Georgia clinched SEC titles is ancient history. Even
second-year Georgia coach Mark Richt sounded vague when asked about Auburn's
role of the spoiler in the series.

"I guess there have been a lot of games that have decided
(the SEC race),
whether Georgia won it or Auburn won it,'' Richt said before concluding:
"Sometimes Auburn has kept Georgia from getting there, and sometimes it's
the other way around.''

There is too much at stake in 2002 to spend much time on
history lessons.

"We don't talk about it too much,'' said Auburn coach
Tommy Tuberville.
"The thing we talk about mainly is players and who you're playing against
and we talk about the positives for us, what this game means for us.''
Added Tuberville: "There is a lot on this game for both sides. This is
the
first time Georgia has had a chance to get to Atlanta. I'm sure we'll get
their best shot.''

Actually, this is Georgia's second chance this season to
clinch a spot in
the SEC championship game. By beating Florida on Nov. 2, Georgia would have
clinched the East and might now be in the thick of the national championship
picture. But Florida beat the Bulldogs, 20-13.

Still, with a win Saturday Georgia can move a step closer to
its first SEC
title since 1982. If Auburn can again play the spoiler role, Georgia and its
fans would be
devastated. Falling short of the SEC championship game would be an especially
bitter ending after Georgia held a two-game lead in the division entering the
month.

Richt needs no history lesson to understand what is on the
line for his team.

"You win, you're in,'' he said. "You lose, you're
out.''

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